TweakTown News Posts - Page 48

Microsoft has reportedly acquire Sunrise, which is a calendar app maker for a swift $100 million. Both sides haven't confirmed the deal, but sources close to TechCrunch have said that the deal is wrapped up for over $100 million.

Sunrise was founded in 2012, where it has since raised $8.2 million from investors like Balderton Capital, SV Angel and BoxGroup. But what can make it an attractive acquisition target for Microsoft? Well, Sunrise consolidates calendars from various providers, making them available on different platforms like iOS, Android and the web.

The acquisition of Sunrise by Microsoft is an interesting one, as it shows that Microsoft is happy to support other, competing operating systems. If Microsoft does indeed acquire Sunrise and continues development of the application for iOS and Android like it does for Office, it could eventually lead to great things.

WhatsApp is now providing a select number of its 700 million strong users with a new voice calling function inside of its Android app. It was first spotted on Reddit, with a user based in India posting a screenshot of the new voice calling function icon.

Others began noticing the same thing, where basic functions like speakerphone, mute and other call options were found within WhatsApp for Android. This will be a small test for now, before it is rolled out into a bigger update for WhatsApp in the near future. It is being suggested that it wasn't intended for the new voice calling function to reach WhatsApp, as it is still very buggy and not ready for the public.

If you've received the voice calling function for WhatsApp, let us know!

theScore just released a new app that centers around the world of eSports, dubbed "theScore eSports" that will provide users with everything happening in the world of eSports, in the palm of their hand.

There will be more games added to theScore eSports app, but for now it includes League of Legends, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty, StarCraft II and Hearthstone. Major tournaments can be followed with real-time scores, standings, ladders and curated links to the live streams of the events as they're happening.

theScore says that they are "the first major sports media company to launch a dedicated mobile app for eSports" which is huge, as eSports just isn't slowing down. If you want to grab theScore eSports for Android, check it out on the Google Play Store.

Kim Kardashian is enjoying her millions of dollars earned from her game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, but it looks like it will soon be Katy Perry's turn to make money from a game.

Glu Mobile, the company that worked on Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, has announced it's working on an untitled game for Katy Perry. Glu Mobile said: "Katy is arguably the most recognized musician in America following her Super Bowl XLIX Halftime performance this past Sunday. She is a cultural icon and we expect to translate key elements of her success into an innovative, highly entertaining mobile experience. We anticipate that Katy's significant global audience, including more than 170 million fans on social media, will make her a strong gaming partner for Glu".

The game will launch later this year on both iOS and Android, featuring Perry's voice, likeness, and much more.

G.SKILL is back again this week, with a new world record for DDR4 RAM frequency, with the company using its Ripjaws 4 DDR4 RAM to hit a huge 4355MHz. Yes, 4.35GHz on RAM.

The company used an ASUS Rampage V Extreme motherboard with Intel's Core i7-5960X processor cooled with LN2 to achieve the record. As you can see in the image above, the record was achieved with the Ripjaws 4 DDR4 RAM in single channel. Most people will cry fowl over this, but RAM overclocking is pretty much an art, and you can't have this gear running in quad channel at these speeds.

G.SKILL memory has been used in 9 world records since January 2015, which really is saying something.

It looks like the end of an era is approaching, with news that Sony is shutting down the production facility that makes the RSX processors for the PlayStation 3 console.

Sony had recently said it would discontinue any and all operations at the factory responsible for the RSX chips in the PS3, but it looks like this is now happening. Oita TEC who was previously responsible for the memory packaging recently starting the production of advanced packaging for the CPUs that power the PlayStation consoles. The plant itself was producing the packaging of the Cell and RSX processors for the PS3, but is now being shut down keeping the "changing business landscape" in sight.

With 220 employees at the factory, usually their jobs would be lost, but this isn't the case. All of their jobs will be transferred to other plants that are used to make image sensors, or to other factories at alternate Sony Semiconductor Corporation sites.

There are going to be big shifts in manufacturing nodes this year, with Samsung reportedly making 14nm FinFET chips for the three biggest players in the industry: NVIDIA, Apple and Qualcomm.

Samsung will be capable of doing this as the company only reached an important breakthrough recently, which has allowed the South Korean giant to increase yields, and reduce costs. On top of this, TSMC has been experiencing various delays which have seen big companies having to shift over from TSMC to Samsung. Qualcomm also reportedly stopped their production of 16nm FinFET chips at TSMC just three weeks ago, jumping over to Samsung and its next-gen 14nm FinFET processors.

Apple's upcoming A9 processor will be based on its main competitors technology, with Samsung making the 14nm FinFET A9 processor. NVIDIA had originally partnered up with TSMC to make 16FF+ GPUs, but then we have the legal battle between Samsung and NVIDIA stepping in the way. We don't know if Samsung will choose to make its discrete GPUs using Samsung's next-gen 14nm node, but right now NVIDIA will be making its next-gen GPUs with TSMC on its 16FF+ process. NVIDIA will be having its Tegra processors made over at Samsung, however.

The new open beta for Battlefield Hardline has kicked off, with EA revealing the PC requirements of the game. Gamers will need 60GB of HDD space to play Battlefield Hardline, as well as a 64-bit version of Windows.

The bare minimum specifications aren't too bad, with an Intel Core i3/i5 at 2.4GHz or an AMD Athlon II/Phenom II at 2.8GHz required. 4GB of RAM is also required, with Windows Vista SP2 64-bit being the minimum OS to get it going. As for EA's recommended specifications, they are asking for a quad-core Intel, or six-core AMD processor, 8GB of RAM, 3GB of VRAM on either an AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760.

Battlefield Hardline reports for duty on March 17 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC.

The interconnected age is upon us, and the proliferation of smart devices has made them consumer accessible and easy to use. The "Internet of everything" is everywhere. Business Insider estimates that by 2018 there will be more than 18 billion connected devices in use globally, ranging from smartphones to cars and wearable tech. Creating a connected home has never been easier. Here's a look at just a few of the devices you can use to move your home into the smart age. And you don't even have to be a rocket scientist or engineer to make it happen.

August Smart Lock

The August Smart Lock lets you control your home locks from the palm of your hand, and even issue keys with various accessibility permissions. You can issue one key for a family member that allows 24/7 access and another for a cleaning person or guest who will only unlock the door at a certain time. August Smart Locks even keep a log of who entered and when, allowing you to know precisely who has been in and out of your home. August sends you reminders if the batteries in the lock are low and can even unlock the door automatically as it senses your approach.

Philips Hue Smart Lighting

Smart lighting is more than just being able to turn your lights on and off from your phone. Philips Hue Smart Lighting systems let you create macros and parameters for your lights. Hue can brighten gradually over time to wake you up in the morning or dim slowly to help you fall asleep. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the Hue system is the ability to re-create light parameters from photographs, such as bathing your home in the colors of your favorite sunset or even match the ambiance to events in the movie you are watching.

Samsung has some shiny new high-density GDDR5 memory that should be baked into the redesigned PS4 Slim, while the redesigned Xbox One should feature AMD's new 20nm-based APU. Both consoles are now close to 18 months old, which is about the time the previous generation consoles saw their slimmer, faster, redesigned models. Netflix's Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt said at CES 2015 that the company is expecting a "traditional two-year refresh" which should see both consoles with 4K abilities.

We should expect thinner, cooler, hopefully more powerful consoles from the redesign. AMD's 20nm APU should provide some added performance thanks to its lower heat and power outputs, while the better GDDR5 RAM from Samsung will give Sony a boost to its PS4. Let's just hope it's not a redesign, as in a smaller/thinner console, and that we get some added performance with them, too.